Growth · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Smart People Should Build Things; Conversation with Martin Keen, Founder & CEO of Focal Upright Furniture
from designing shoes to chairs—standing isn't the answer
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Smart People Should Build Things; Conversation with Martin Keen, Founder & CEO of Focal Upright Furniture launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.
- 1

Martin is Designer, Founder & CEO at Focal Upright Furniture
2017 · youtube.com · its alternatives →
- 2

On seeing windows in a windowless building
2016 · its alternatives →
- 3

On building support groups for founders
2016 · its alternatives →
- 4

On being the first non-tech Y Combinator founder!
2016 · its alternatives →
- 5

Technology to transform our relationship with our finances
2016 · its alternatives →
- 6

Tech companies solving problems through products, not people
2016 · its alternatives →
- 7

On disrupting the apparel industry in an untapped market
2016 · its alternatives →
- 8

On reinventing the mattress buying experience
2016 · its alternatives →
- 9

On bringing furniture design & manufacturing back home
2016 · its alternatives →
- 10

On having 'more than one foot' in two different companies
2016 · its alternatives →
- 11

On building a thoughtful and personally-driven career
2016 · its alternatives →
- 12

A conversation about the rising importance of great design
2016 · soundcloud.com · its alternatives →
- 13

On building a company w 1 day of business school education
2016 · its alternatives →
- 14

On building relationships on the customer's terms
2016 · its alternatives →
- 15

From Bear Stearns to competing with Seamless
2016 · its alternatives →
- 16

On giving sports fans what they want
2016 · its alternatives →
- 17

- 18

On the value of persistence
2016 · its alternatives →
- 19

On joining the software big leagues
2017 · its alternatives →
- 20

- 21

Stories and insights from the world’s best design leaders
2017 · designbetterpodcast.com · its alternatives →
- 22

Why entrepreneurship is not nearly as risky as people think
2016 · its alternatives →
- 23

On harnessing kinetic energy to change the world
2016 · its alternatives →
- 24

And how Typeform is making things "a little more human".
2016 · soundcloud.com · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →